Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has urged athletes who participated in the recent Paris Olympic Games to invest their earnings wisely. During a welcoming ceremony at the Eldoret State Lodge on Thursday, August 15, 2024, Gachagua emphasized that the athletes earned a significant amount of money from their successful performances at the Olympics.
He advised them to make sound investments to ensure a dignified life in retirement.
Gachagua expressed concern that it would be disheartening for athletes to end up in poverty after achieving success and representing Kenya on the global stage. “Please invest and invest well so that the name you carry is dignified in life. It would be very sad if, after winning medals at the Olympics, you later find yourself struggling. Remember to invest wisely,” he reiterated.
Additionally, Gachagua encouraged parents and guardians to support aspiring athletes, highlighting the potential of the sports sector to create jobs and improve livelihoods.
During the same ceremony, Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen outlined plans to revitalize various sports disciplines.
He noted that Kenya has primarily relied on athletics, which contributed to the country’s 17th place finish in the recent Olympic Games. Murkomen pledged to organize sporting federations to empower more athletes ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in the U.S.
He pointed out that other countries are succeeding in a variety of sports, including archery, and stressed the importance of improving the leadership within federations, stating, “We know where the problem lies. It’s in the leadership of the federations, and most of them are not organized.”
